The Bible As Hate Speech?

This was inevitable, now, wasn’t it? In a culture where we are essentially providing a legal right not to be offended, how could it not? Belief in God is fine, so long as you mean a Kumbaya hippie surfer-dude Jesus whose only recorded quote is “judge not”. But the Thrice-holy Son of God? The one whose wrath Colossians 3 says is coming in response to sins? No. That God does not fit well in polite company. He makes people uncomfortable, makes them feel bad.

Well, in Canada, 2 homosexual men brought a case against someone for exactly that. They took offense at his flyers. It went to the Supreme Court, and they prevailed. The problem? He spoke disparagingly of homosexuality. He cited specific Biblical texts, and denounced as sin, such things as sodomy.

The judges did note, however, that “it would only be unusual circumstances and context that could transform a simple reading or publication of a religion’s holy text into what could objectively be viewed as hate speech.” Which is to say, that in this particular case, a simple quote actually is viewed as hate speech. And, consequently, the defendant is on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees.

Defendant William Whatcott’s response to reporters was, “the ruling and the reasoning [of the court] is terrible. They actually used the concept that truth is not a defense.” He added, “it’s worse than I expected. What it means is that my life is over as I know it.”

Love the Sinner, hate the sin?

However, the Supreme Court of Canada declared Wednesday that oftentimes, it is impossible to say that one loves the sinner and hates the sin. It asserted that the hatred of the act was inseparable from hating the person or person group. (So, they ruled that he “hates” homosexual people, because he opposes homosexual activity.)

Who is he?

In his youth, he was living on the streets, and according to news sources, worked as a homosexual prostitute. He has since become a very outspoken critic of the pro-homosexual activists, and is the first to lose a free-speech/hate-speech decision on this issue at the Supreme Court level. Therefore, he (a former homosexual underage prostitute) hates homosexuals on the grounds that he speaks against it.